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Hackers Publish Cheating Site's Stolen Data

Posted by Soulskill on from the and-maybe-not dept.

pdclarry notes that many news outlets are reporting that 9.7 GB of data stolen from cheating website AshleyMadison.com has been published online. "The dump contains files with titles including 'aminno_member_dump.gz,' 'aminno_member_email.dump.gz,' 'CreditCardTransactions7z,' and 'member_details.dump.gz,' an indication that the download could contain highly personal details." Brian Krebs questioned the way this has been reported without confirmation, but added that he's been contacted by several people who found their own accurate details within the data dump. Many of the reports note this detail: "Assuming the download turns out to be authentic, people should remember that it was possible for anyone to create an account using the name and e-mail address of other individuals."

7 of 319 comments (clear)

  1. ... using the name and e-mail address of other ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Usually all sites will send a confirmation email and only enable the account if a confirmation link or code from that email is used.

    So i guess it's a bit hard to "create an account using the ... e-mail address of other individuals"

  2. Yeah, right. by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Assuming the download turns out to be authentic, people should remember that it was possible for anyone to create an account using the name and e-mail address of other individuals.

    ...And supplying other people's credit card details as well, no doubt.

    FWIW, I believe that people's sex lives are their own business, married or not. But I find it difficult to drum up any sympathy for marrieds who are foolish enough to go looking for something on the side via a big flashy commercial website dedicated to that purpose.

    Internet privacy was over at least a decade ago. There's been plenty of time for you to figure this out.

    --
    Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    1. Re:Yeah, right. by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I've always assumed that GMail isn't really private, either.

      For most of the last 25 years, I've followed a little rule I learned in my radio days: "Don't say it on the air if you don't want to read about it in the paper." It's yet to be proven wrong.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    2. Re:Yeah, right. by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I see marriage as a partnership between two people. Each gets a lot out of the marriage - stability, a family, a home, security, companionship etc. So refraining from cheating on your partner is just one of the sacrifices you have to make in exchange for that. Sure, you can agree not to be exclusive with each other and maintain the marriage, but going behind your partner's back when you know it will hurt them is not right.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    3. Re:Yeah, right. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      the heartbreak from cheating is nothing compared to the enduring pain from the death of a loved one

      This is one of those generalisations that betrays a close to zero understanding of human emotion. Cheating and unexpected death are both often experienced in similar ways as losses: you had a strong bond with someone that was very important to you, and now suddenly you don't. The loved one has gone, and it's not relevant whether they've gone to the guy/gal the next town over, or six feet under.

      the powerful have had mistresses or consorts or even kept harems

      They've also waged brutal offensive wars and raped and pillaged. "The powerful" tends to be a fairly vicious standard to look up to - fortunately, most people don't.

      there have been entire societies that practiced polygamy at all levels

      Polygamy is not about cheating. There is nothing dishonest in everyone agreeing to a particular arrangement, whatever it is. In confounding two separate arguments, you're making polygamy look bad, even when you seem to want to make it look good.

      If you think you can truly be your partner's everything, the only one they'll ever need to provide everything they desire, then (statistically speaking) you're delusional.

      This is a ridiculous strawman, and you know it.

      Cheating may feel inhumane, but it is very, very human.

      This statement is vacuous. What does "human" mean here - that it's something humans can and sometimes do do? Then murder is "very, very human". It's certainly not inevitable for even a small minority to cheat. You don't want to be faithful to Bob? Go tell Bob!

  3. Re: ... using the name and e-mail address of other by x0ra · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's not a prank, it's identity theft, either a felony or a misdemeanor.

  4. Re:More social decay. by vux984 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why does lifelong monogamy has to be the moral norm ?

    Who said it does? Nobody says it has to be your norm. You don't have to get married, lots of people don't. You certainly don't have to stay married, again lost of people don't.

    There is nothing particularly immoral about having multiple partners over your life. The immorality is the deception and betrayal of trust. If your going to bang strangers from the internet fine... tell your partner(s) that's what your going to be doing. If they're cool with that great. If they're not, you can leave each other and find a partner(s) that will accept it.

    But sneaking around behind their back(s), lying to them, and violating their trust? What's your "moral" argument for doing that?